Hamish McAlpine's Tartan Films has acquired all UK rights to Japanese gore fest Battle Royale.

Tartan will release the controversial film in the UK in the autumn through releasing arm Metro Tartan Distribution. Directed by Kinji Fukasaku, the futuristic story follows a group of teens on a desert island who are forced to kill each other until only one survives.

Japanese politicians called for the film to be banned, blaming it for real-life teenage violence. The film is due to screen outside Japan for the first time as one of the highlights at this month's International Film Festival Rotterdam.